Fayetteville City Council removes agenda item to consider local company's bid

Andrew Barksdale Staff writer

Tuesday

Mar 26, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 26, 2013 at 6:03 AM

Members of the Fayetteville City Council sparred again Monday night over how the city awards its municipal contracts, and often excludes local vendors.

Councilwoman Val Applewhite had requested the item be placed on Monday's agenda to consider a local company's bidding software.

The item was nixed.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Arp moved to pull Applewhite's item from the agenda at the outset of the meeting, and the council agreed in an 8-2 vote that resulted in another municipal gathering of political snipping, sniping and sneering.

Applewhite told the mayor pro tem it would have been proper and customary to inform her in advance of his intention to strike her request.

"I don't think I missed the call," she said.

Arp quickly responded.

"I didn't make the call," he said.

Arp said he decided to pull the item off the agenda only minutes before the meeting began.

Applewhite then looked toward City Manager Ted Voorhees.

She demanded to know if he had any prior knowledge of Arp's motion, or if he had discussed the issue with anybody else before the meeting.

"I just learned about it tonight," Voorhees said.

Applewhite kept looking the city manager's way, and she wasn't done.

"I'm going to ask again," Applewhite said to Voorhees, "because I rarely ask a question that I don't know the answer to."

When Applewhite pressed him further, Mayor Tony Chavonne interrupted, cautioning the councilwoman that her questions were not pertinent to Arp's motion.

"I think," Applewhite fired back, "it's very pertinent."

Chavonne objected without reservation.

"I'm actually the administrator of this hearing," Chavonne said.

Applewhite then asked if she could pose a different question to Voorhees, and Chavonne agreed.

Applewhite leaned in toward her microphone and stared at Voorhees.

"Have I violated any written policy by bringing this item to a City Council meeting?" she asked.

"No, ma'am," Voorhees said.

In emails about a week ago, Voorhees had begged Applewhite to reconsider her request to ask the council to accept a 90-day free trial to use GovTide, a government-procurement program owned by Advanced Internet Technologies.

Voorhees responded that her request would set a bad precedent of vendors making pitches directly to the council for their services or products. He said that's the responsibility of city administrators, who then make recommendations to the council.

Last month, some council members feuded over the related issue of advertising bids to hire a consultant who would study the disparities between local contractors and out-of-town companies securing city work.

The council then was split 5-5, and the issue died.

Applewhite said she was hoping the use of GovTide would help the city better track where tax dollars were being spent.

Applewhite, who has openly quarreled with the mayor over the issue in recent meetings, was annoyed again Monday night. When she interrupted Crisp, Chavonne asked her "to let him speak."

She challenged the mayor once more.

"Gavel me, mayor," she shot back.

Chavonne ignored the councilwoman.

Haire said Arp's motives to squash discussion of GovTide were political.

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